Coding method of vector network address

ABSTRACT

A coding method of vector network address (VNA), which encodes the VNA according to output port names (OPN) of one source device and the forwarding devices along the Data Transmission Path (DTP). Each OPN acts as a component address, and all component addresses compose a sequence in the order along the direction of the DTP. This sequence is the result of the coding method, i.e. the VNA. More specifically, the VNA is a finite sequence as follows: The first component address in the sequence is the OPN of the source device, the second that is the OPN of the first forwarding device in the DTP, the third that is the OPN of the second forwarding device in the DTP, and so on. The final OPN in the sequence is the OPN of the final forwarding device in the DTP.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a coding method for electronic device addressin communication network.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In order to perform tasks of electronic devices well or better, theelectronic devices need to be connected with each other with cable orcommunication line to form a network, so as to set up communicationrelationship, and to exchange information to collaborate their work.Functionally, an electronic device in the network can be categorizedeither as a termination device or a forwarding device. The terminationdevice is used for sending and receiving information. Further, atermination device is called a source device when it plays role ofsending information, or the termination device is called a destinationdevice when it is used for receiving information. A forwarding device isan intermediate device used for forwarding information and it forwardsinformation in the process of delivering information from source deviceto destination device. For instance, IP router in IP network and ATM(Asynchronous Transfer Mode) switch in ATM network are both examples offorwarding devices.

The above means that an electronic device may play three roles in theprocess of data transmission: the source device, the forwarding deviceand the destination device. In fact, the same electronic device can playdifferent roles in different circumstances. For example, sometimes aforwarding device just receives data and doesn't forward the data out.It works as destination device at this moment. To make the descriptioneasy, it limits an electronic device to play a single role below. Thatmeans one electronic device must be only one of the roles of the sourcedevice, the forwarding device, and the destination device. In fact, thelimitation does not affect generality of the method discussed. In orderto communicate with each other after the electronic devices form anetwork, it is necessary to develop a coding method which is used todefine an identifier for each electronic device, or they can'tcommunicate. That identifier is called address of the electronic device.

IP address in IP network and VPI/VCI address in ATM network areaddresses of electronic device commonly used. In the IP network, eachelectronic device is assigned an explicit and constant address. That isto say, coding method of absolute address is used and the address iscalled absolute address. The characteristic of the coding method ofabsolute address is that the destination device is one-variable functionof absolute address. No matter when and where, once the absolute addressis given, the destination device is determined. The relationship isshown as follows:Dd=f(Aa)Where,

-   -   Aa refers to the absolute address;    -   Dd refers to the destination device located by Aa; and    -   f refers to an abstract function, denoting the relationship        between Dd and Aa.

How about the performance of the coding method for network address canbe appraised by the performance of the network established on this kindof network address, such as security, complexity, scalability, and soon. Problems of the insecurity, complexity, and un-scalability in IPnetwork are mainly due to the coding method for network address in IPnetwork, which is illustrated as follows.

-   -   Firstly, IP network is insecure. Three main reasons can be        accounted for that.    -   (1) The destination address in a data packet must be visible        directly to forwarding device (i.e. IP router). It can't be        encrypted, or routers will not identify the destination address        and can't forward data.    -   (2) Since length of IP address is fixed and limited, all        possible IP addresses can be enumerated. That means all IP        addresses can be searched to obtain, which may cause insecurity.    -   (3) Since a fixed address is assigned for an electronic device,        once the address is acquired, anyone can access the electronic        device from anywhere.    -   Secondly, the architecture of IP network is complex. An IP        address is just the identification of an electronic device, and        it doesn't contain routing information directly which is stored        in a forwarding device for IP network. As the forwarding device        is used by lots of users simultaneously, it is very complicated        for the forwarding device to obtain and maintain dynamic routing        information. Furthermore, it consumes a huge quantity of        computing resources to access enormous routing information in a        router, which makes the forwarding device in IP network need        large storage space and high computing capability. Hence, IP        router and the whole network as a result are high cost, and        there may exist high speed bottleneck in IP network, restricting        the application of the network.    -   Thirdly, the IP network architecture has poor scalability and        adaptability. Reasons are as follows:    -   (1) The duplication of IP addresses is strictly not allowed.        That means all addresses of electronic devices in the network        can't be the same, so that it has to solve the duplication of        names in the whole network range. A distribution system of        network address is set up to solve the problem. That is to say,        we can not expand the network arbitrarily and have to raise the        procedure to apply an address before the expansion of the        network, which is not convenient.    -   (2) The range of IP addresses is fixed. On the one hand, it has        problem of address starvation for a large network. On the other        hand, the long IP address is wasteful and brings an overhead        relative big for small network.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To overcome the problems in the network techniques currently used, theobject of this invention is to provide a coding method of vector networkaddress. The result obtained by the coding method is called VectorNetwork Address (VNA).

Before describing this invention, it is necessary to define a term: DataTransmission Path (DTP).

Delivering data over a network means that the data is sent out from asource device and finally arrives at another destination device afterthe forwarding of a certain amount of forwarding devices. DTP is definedas a sequence of devices consisted of the source device, the forwardingdevices and the destination device sequentially as the data goes throughthe network. The direction of DTP is the direction from the sourcedevice to the destination device.

The coding method of vector network address encodes VNA according toOutput Port Names (OPNs) of the source device and the forwarding devicesin the DTP. Each OPN acts as a component address and all componentaddresses compose a sequence in the order along the direction of theDTP. The sequence is the result of the coding method of vector networkaddress, i.e. VNA. In more detail, it is as follows: the first componentaddress in the sequence is the OPN of the source device, the second isthe OPN of the first forwarding device in the DTP, the third is the OPNof the second forwarding device in the DTP, and so on. The finalcomponent address in the sequence is the OPN of the final forwardingdevice in the DTP.

There will be a unique VNA for a DTP, obtained by the coding method ofvector network address. From the other point of view, once a sourcedevice acquires a VNA, it can locate a unique destination device, andThe VNA defines a DTP through which the data goes.

The VNA is a kind of relative address, which means that we can say “whatis the VNA from a source device to a destination device”, but we can'tsay “what is the VNA of a given destination device”. In other words, adestination device is a double-variable function of the VNA and thesource device in the case of the coding method of vector networkaddress. Destination device is definite only when the VNA and the sourcedevice are both given. The relationship is shown as follows:Dd=g(Sd,VNA)Where Dd refers to destination device, Sd refers to source device, VNArefers to Vector Network Address, and g refers to the abstract functiondefining the relationship among Dd, Sd, and VNA. The VNA has no meaningand can't be used to locate a destination device if there is no a sourcedevice as reference.

In order to send data from a source device to a destination device, itis enough that the VNA is given in data packet. There is no need tocontain the name of source device in the data packet. The source deviceis the sender of the data packet, and it is not necessary to provide itsname obviously in the data packet for sending.

The positive effect of this invention is that it makes the network ofelectronic devices simpler, more secure, and more scalable than before.The specific benefits are as follows:

-   -   (1) The network based on the coding method of vector network        address has better security. The network is improved essentially        in security comparing to the IP network based on IP address.        That comes from the characteristics of VNA below:        -   (i) The resulted address is relative. A source device can            locate a destination device using VNA, but another source            device cannot find the same destination device by the same            VNA.        -   (ii) The resulted address is unreadable. The number of            component addresses in a VNA and the domain of each            component address are not fixed. Therefore, in the network,            there is no an electronic device which can read and            understand the whole VNA. An electronic device in the DTP            can only understand the component address belongs to itself,            and all other component addresses can't be understood or are            unavailable to the electronic device.        -   (iii) The resulted address is un-enumerable. Both the number            of component addresses in a VNA, and the domain of each            component address are not fixed and don't have an upper            limit, so it is impossible to search the address of an            electronic device by enumerating all addresses. Even a small            network based on VNA can have unlimited component addresses            due to the property of unlimited values of VNA.        -   (iv) The resulted address is able to encrypt. The VNA            consists of component addresses. And individual electronic            device forwards data relying on only one component address            so that other component addresses can be in the status of            encryption.    -   (2) The network is relatively simple. VNA provides routing        information directly, which makes very easy for the forwarding        device to forward data and simplifies the forwarding device. On        the contrary, the IP address does not provide routing        information directly and it requires the forwarding device to        collect and maintain routing information, which consumes a lot        of computing resources and makes forwarding device very complex.    -   (3) The coding method is of good adaptability and high        efficiency. The network based on VNA can be extended whenever it        is needed. And there is no the address-duplicate limitation        strictly. The length of network address is determined on demand        and it is unlimited. VNA is adequate to any-sized network and        won't be used up. On the other hand, the length of network        address is very short for small network and the overhead of data        transmission due to address is very low consequently. That means        the usage of communication link is very efficient.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of output port names.

FIG. 2 illustrates ordinal number coding of output ports.

FIG. 3 is the flow chart of the forwarding program running in aforwarding device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The data transmitted in network is called packet (or data packet). Inorder to demonstrate the coding method of vector network address, wefirstly give an instance of packet format and an instance for forwardingmethod of forwarding device, and then how the VNA provides forwardinginformation in the forwarding device to implement forwarding operationfor a packet is explained. Finally, the characteristic of VNA ispresented.

The format of packet is as follows.

-   -   Head Len1 VNA Info        Where,    -   Head: the packet head as the fixed information part of the        packet, including a version number of the packet format, and        priority of the packet, etc.    -   Len1: an integer which represents the number of bits after field        Len1 itself in the packet.    -   VNA: vector network address.    -   Info: payload of the packet.

Forwarding method is as follows.

The procedure transmitting a packet from source device to destinationdevice can be divided into a series of forwarding procedures performedin each electronic device along the DTP. The method for forwardingprocedure is called forwarding method. The forwarding method is verysimple in the case of VNA: an electronic device forwards the packet tothe next electronic device through a given output port.

The flow chart of the program running in forwarding device is shown inFIG. 3. It gives the steps in detail of the forwarding method. Thisprogram runs in every forwarding device. When the forwarding devicereceives a packet from its input port, the program runs a time toperform forwarding data. There are only three steps for the forwardingprocedure:

-   -   (i) Extracting the output port (denoted by To) from the field        VNA of the packet, i.e. the first component address in the field        VNA, to which the packet will be sent out;    -   (ii) Modifying the packet to delete To from the packet; and    -   (iii) Sending the modified packet to the output port given by        To.

With the packet format and routing method mentioned above, two instancesimplementing the coding method of vector network address are given asfollows.

1. The Coding Method of Vector Network Address Based on Port Name

(1) Coding Method

The first instance of the method can be shown in FIG. 1, in which allthe rectangles and the circles represent electronic devices, but the twokinds of electronic devices are different in function. The rectanglesrepresent the termination devices which are devices sending andreceiving information, and the circles represent forwarding devices. Thedotted and closed curve represents the border of the network. Allforwarding devices are inside the border, and all termination devicesare outside the border. The figure shows ten electronic devices andtheir links between. What illustrated by the figure is just an example,and in practice the number of electronic devices, the number of portsfor each electronic device, and the links of electronic devices willdiffer with application. In order to make the description easier, eachof the electronic devices has been assigned a name, i.e. A, B, C, up toJ. Each port of the electronic devices has been labeled by a port name,such as the three ports of E were labeled as E1, E2, and E3. The portname can be any string, including number as a special case of string.

The coding method of vector network address encodes VNA according toOutput Port Names (OPNs) of the source device and the forwarding devicesalong the DTP. Each OPN acts as a component address and all componentaddresses compose a sequence in the order along the direction of theDTP. The first component address in the sequence is the OPN of thesource device, the second component address in the sequence is the OPNof the first forwarding device in the DTP, the third component addressin the sequence is the OPN of the second forwarding device in the DTP,and so on. The final component address in the sequence is the OPN of thefinal forwarding device in the DTP. The sequence above is the result ofthe coding method, i.e. the VNA.

Take the path represented by thick solid lines in FIG. 1 as an example.according to the coding method of vector network address mentionedabove, a coding result of vector network address for transmitting datafrom the source device A to the destination device C can be obtained.

The first component address of the sequence is A1 which is the outputport name of the source device A; the second component address is G2which is the output port name of the first forwarding device G on theDTP; the third component address is I3 which is the output port name ofthe second forwarding device I; and so on. The last component address ofthe sequence is J2 which is the name of the last forwarding device J.The sequence {A1, G2, I3, J2} is the coding result of vector networkaddress, and it is the VNA by which data can be transmitted from sourcedevice A to destination device C. Once the VNA {A1, G2, I3, J2} isgiven, a path from A to C is completely determined without anyambiguity. The characteristic of the coding method is that destinationdevice C which can be determined only after a source device A and theVNA are both given is a double-variable function of the source device Aand the VNA {A1, G2, I3, J2}, which can be expressed as follows:C=g(A,{A1,G2,I3,J2})Where, g is an abstract function, expressing the relationship among thedestination device, the source device, and the VNA. The VNA has nomeaning and can't be used to locate the destination device if there isno source device as a reference.

Other VNA can easily be obtained similarly using the coding method ofvector network address, for example, {B1, I4, H2, F3} is one of VNA fromB to D when B is the source device and D is the destination device; {D1,F2, H3, I2} is one of the VNA from D to B, and {D1, F1, E1, G2, I2} isanother one when D is the source device and B is the destination device.There are many vector network addresses from a source device to adestination device, and however only one destination device will beexactly located by one source device and one vector network address.

(2) An Instance of Forwarding Process

-   -   This forwarding process is denoted as “Instance 1”.    -   packet is sent from the source device A. The VNA of the packet        is VNA={A1, G2, I3, J2}. That is, the packet has the form:        -   [Head Len1 {A1, G2, 13, J2} Info]

The procedure of forwarding program in the forwarding devices isdescribed as follows:

-   -   (a) The forwarding program in source device A strips off the        first component address A1, and let To=A1. As a result, the        packet becomes    -   [Head Len1 {G2, I3, J2} Info]        -   Then, the modified packet is sent to forwarding device G            through the output port A1 of the source device A, referring            to FIG. 1.    -   (b) When the packet gets to the forwarding device G, the        forwarding program in G also strips off the first component        address G2 from the current VNA of packet and let To=G2, the        packet becomes    -   [Head Len1 {I3, J2} Info]    -   Then, the modified packet is sent to forwarding device I through        the output port G2 of the forwarding device G, referring to FIG.        1.    -   (c) When the packet gets to the forwarding device I, the        forwarding program in I strips off the first component address        I3 from the current VNA of packet and let To=I3, the packet        becomes    -   [Head Len1 {J2} Info]    -   Then, the modified packet is sent to forwarding device J through        the output port I3 of the forwarding device I, referring to FIG.        1.    -   (d) When the packet gets to the forwarding device J, the        forwarding program in J strips off the first component address        J2 from the current VNA of packet and let To=J2, the packet        becomes    -   [Head Len1 { } Info]    -   Then, the modified packet is sent to destination device C        through the output port J2 of the forwarding device J. At this        point, the whole process of data transmission is completed.        2. The Coding Method of Vector Network Address for the Binary        Form of the VNA        (1) Coding Method

To make the issue more concrete and to explain the implementationclearly, it supposes that all electronic devices are computer, and allthe computers are connected with Ethernet lines to form a computernetwork. Each termination device has an Ethernet interface card, andeach forwarding device has certain number of interface cardscorresponding to the number of its ports.

Ordinal numbers for the ports are shown in FIG. 2, which is a morespecific example of FIG. 1. The lines and shapes in this FIG. 2 havejust the same meaning as those in FIG. 1, but the port name ofelectronic devices is more specific and it is replaced by output portnumber. That is, the letter of port name is removed and the digit isleft alone. For example, B1 in FIG. 1 is replaced by 1 in FIG. 2, so theexpression of VNA is more concise.

FIG. 2 shows the result after carrying out the operation mentionedabove. The expression of VNA becomes {1, 2, 3, 2} instead of {A1, G2,I3, J2}.

Further, for the purpose of representing VNA more efficient in computer,the VNA {1, 2, 3, 2} will be represented by binary numbers. Therepresentation is explained as follows:

Firstly, the number of ports for each electronic device in DTP aredifferent and they are 1, 3, 4, and 3 for the four electronic devices A,G, I, and J, respectively. According to the numerical range which can beexpressed by a binary number, the binary number for the electronicdevice A can be expressed by only 1 bit because it has just 1 port;similarly, the binary numbers for the electronic device G can beexpressed by 2 bits because it has 3 ports; the binary numbers for theelectronic device I should be expressed by 3 bits because it has 4ports; and the binary numbers for the electronic device J should beexpressed by 2 bits because it has 3 ports.

According to what mentioned above, we can use 1, 2, 3, 2 bits for thefour electronic devices A, G, I, and J respectively, which are enough tocode their ports, and the binary numbers obtained for the VNA are asfollows respectively:

Decimal numbers: {1 2 3, 2} Binary numbers: {1, 10, 011, 10} Number ofbits: 1 2 3 2

-   -   Therefore, the final expression of the VNA in binary form is        11001110 from the steps below,    -   {A1, G2, I3, J2}=>{1, 2, 3, 2}=>{1, 10, 011, 10}=>11001110

Where all component addresses in the binary form are directlyconcatenated together to form the VNA without need for explicit orimplicit delimiter between. Once the VNA in binary form is formed, it isimpossible to trip off the first component address from the VNA if thelength of the component address is unknown.

(2) Instance of Forwarding Process

-   -   This forwarding process is denoted by “Instance 2”.    -   This instance is the same as “Instance 1” except that the VNA is        in the binary form. The packet which is with VNA 11001110 will        be sent from the source device A and the packet is in the form:    -   [Head Len1 11001110 Info]

The procedure of forwarding program in each forwarding device isdescribed as follows:

-   -   (a) The source device A knows that it has only one port and also        knows that the length of its component address is 1 bit. So the        forwarding program in source device strips off just 1 bit from        the VNA of the packet and let To=1 because the bit stripped off        is 1. As a result, the packet becomes    -   [Head Len1 1001110 Info]    -   Then, the modified packet is sent to forwarding device G through        the output port 1 of the source device A, referring to FIG. 2.    -   (b) The forwarding device G knows that it has only three ports        and it also knows that the length of its component address is 2        bits. When the packet is received, the forwarding program strips        off the first component address 10, 10 in binary means 2 in        decimal and let To=2. As a result, the packet becomes        -   [Head Len1 01110 Info]        -   Therefore, the modified packet is sent to forwarding device            I through the output port 2 of the forwarding device G,            referring to FIG. 2.    -   (c) The forwarding device I knows that it has only four ports        and it also knows that the length of its component address is 3        bits. When the packet is received, the forwarding program strips        off the first component address 011, 011 in binary means 3 in        decimal and let To=3. As a result, the packet becomes        -   [Head Len1 10 Info]        -   Therefore, the modified packet is sent to forwarding device            J through the output port 3 of the forwarding device I,            referring to FIG. 2.    -   (d) The forwarding device J knows that it has only three ports        and it also knows that the length of its component address is 2        bits. When the packet is received, the forwarding program strips        off the first component address 10, 10 in binary means 2 in        decimal and let To=2. As a result, the packet becomes        -   [Head Len1 { } Info]        -   Therefore, the modified packet is sent to destination device            C through the output port 2 of the forwarding device J,            referring to FIG. 2.

At this point, the whole process of data transmission is completed.

The Characteristics of VNA.

Based on the instances of forwarding process mentioned above, thecharacteristics of VNA are summarized below.

-   -   (1) The VNA is with unlimited values. The number of VNA from a        source device to a destination device is not just one but        unlimited. As shown in FIG. 1, the VNA from A to C could be:    -   {A1, G2, I3, J2}, {A1, G2, I4, H4, J2}, {A1, G3, E2, H4, J2},        {A1, G3, E2, H3, I3, J2}, {A1, G3, E2, H3, I1, G3, E2, H4, J2},        . . . .

Obviously, the first address is the shortest and the last one is thelongest among the five addresses because its components G3 and E2 arelooped. There could be unlimited local cycles in a path of network, sothe number of VNAs from A to C is also unlimited. In practice, weusually select the shortest or the approximately shortest path. Theproperty of looping may be useful to the security.

-   -   (2) The VNA is unreadable. From the “Instance 2” we can see that        a forwarding device can just analyze the component address        belonging to it. For example, as the component address ‘1’ is        already stripped off by the previous device, the forwarding        device G can only acquire the address 1001110. In addition, the        forwarding device G knows that the length of its component        address is 2 bits so that the component address ‘10’ can be        obtained. But it can't understand the rest address “01110”,        which may be various combinations: 01+110, 011+10, 01+1+10, so        that the forwarding device G doesn't know how to divide the rest        address and it is impossible for G to understand the rest        address. In a word, the forwarding device G can only get and        understand the component address ‘10’ belonging to it. The        component addresses before are not available and the component        addresses after cannot be understood.    -   (3) The VNA is able to encrypt. We can encrypt the VNA even        though the length of the component address is unchanged. As long        as a forwarding device in the DTP knows how to decrypt its own        component address, it can perform task of data forwarding        correctly. As long as a source device gets secret keys for every        forwarding device in the DTP by consulting with all of them        before communication begins, the communication with addresses        encrypted can be implemented. Considering the VNA is unreadable        as well, we can conclude that the VNA has the excellent ability        of encryption communication. Not only data can be encrypted, but        also who are communicating does not expose.    -   (4) The VNA is very short for the small network. The number of        component addresses is related directly to the number of        forwarding devices in the network, and the number of bits for        component address is related directly to the number of output        ports of each electronic device. If the network is small, the        number of forwarding devices and/or the number of output ports        of each forwarding device are small, so that the number of        component addresses and/or the number of bits for each component        address are small. That means the address is short.

1. A method for processing a vector network address (VNA), comprising:receiving a data packet containing a VNA having a sequence of outputport names (OPNs) into computer memory of an electronic device;extracting an OPN for the electronic device from the VNA; modifying thedata packet to delete the OPN from the VNA; and sending the modifieddata packet to the output port identified by the OPN; wherein only asingle OPN of the VNA is capable of being read by the electronic device;and wherein the remaining OPNs in the VNA are encrypted in a manner suchthat the electronic device is incapable of determining the remainingOPNs in the VNA.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the VNA defines adata transmission path.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the datatransmission path is relative to the electronic device.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the length of the VNA is based at least in part on thequantity of OPNs in the VNA and the variable length of each OPN.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the VNA comprises a sequence of concatenatedsequential OPNs in binary form without delimiters.
 6. The method ofclaim 5, wherein each of the concatenated sequential OPNs in binary formis of variable length with respect to each electronic device.
 7. Themethod of claim 6, further comprising: determining the length of the OPNwithin the VNA for the electronic device; and modifying the data packetby deleting a sequence of binary bits having a length equal to thedetermined length; wherein the determined length is the minimum numberof bits necessary to represent any output port on the electronic device.8. The method of claim 1, wherein the OPN identifies an output port onthe electronic device connected to exactly one input port on a nextelectronic device.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the finaldestination derived from the VNA is relative to the electronic device.10. A method for transmitting a data packet from a source device to adestination device on a network, comprising: (a) receiving a data packetcontaining a vector network address (VNA) into computer memory of asource device, wherein the VNA includes a sequence of output port names(OPNs); (b) extracting an OPN for the source device from the VNA; (c)modifying the data packet to delete the OPN from the VNA; and (d)sending the data packet containing the modified VNA via the output portof the source device identified by the OPN to the next electronic deviceconnected to the identified output port; wherein if the next electronicdevice is the destination device, the transmitting is finished; else ifthe next electronic device is a forwarding device, performing thefollowing for the next electronic device: (e) receive the data packetcontaining the VNA into computer memory; (f) extract an OPN for theforwarding device from the VNA; (g) modify the data packet to delete theOPN from the VNA; and (h) send the modified data packet, via the outputport identified by the OPN, to the further next electronic deviceconnected to the identified output port; and if the further nextelectronic device is also a forwarding device, repeating steps (e), (f),(g) and (h) with respect to the modified data packet; otherwise thepacket is at a final destination and the transmitting is finished;wherein only a single OPN of the VNA is capable of being read by eachelectronic device; and wherein the remaining OPNs in the VNA areencrypted in a manner such that the electronic device processing thedata packet is incapable of determining the remaining OPNs in the VNA.11. The method of claim 10, wherein the data packet is sent to a sameforwarding device at least two times before reaching the destinationdevice.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein the VNA defines a datatransmission path; and wherein the data transmission path is relative tothe source device or forwarding device receiving the data packet. 13.The method of claim 10, wherein the VNA comprises a sequence ofconcatenated sequential OPNs of variable length in binary form withoutdelimiters.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: at thesource device or forwarding device, performing the following: (1)determine the length of the OPN within the VNA for the source device orforwarding device; (2) identify a sequence of binary bits in the VNAhaving a length equal to the determined length as the extracted OPN inbinary form for the source device or forwarding device; (3) modify thedata packet by deleting a sequence of binary bits having a length equalto the determined length of the OPN from the VNA; wherein the determinedlength of the OPN is the minimum number of bits necessary to representany output port on the source device or the forwarding device.
 15. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the OPN identifies an output port on thesource device or forwarding device processing the OPN that connects toexactly one forwarding device or destination device.
 16. A system fortransmitting a data packet from a source device to a destination deviceon a network, comprising: a plurality of forwarding devices linkedtogether to form a network, and a plurality of destination devices andsource devices connected to the network; wherein the source device isadapted to: transmit a data packet containing a vector network address(VNA) having a sequence of sequential output port names (OPNs) on anoutput port of a source device to a forwarding device; wherein theforwarding device is adapted to: receive the data packet containing theVNA into computer memory; extract an output port name (OPN) from theVNA; modify the data packet to delete the OPN from the VNA; and send themodified data packet, via the output port identified by the OPN, to oneof a destination device or a forwarding device connected to theidentified output port; wherein any single forwarding device on thenetwork is capable of determining only a single OPN of the VNA; andwherein the remaining OPNs in the VNA are encrypted in a manner suchthat the single forwarding device is incapable of determining any of theremaining OPNs in the VNA.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the VNAwithin the data packet defines a data transmission path.
 18. The systemof claim 16, wherein the forwarding device is further adapted to:determine the length of the OPN within the VNA for the forwardingdevice; and modify the data packet by deleting a sequence of binary bitshaving a length equal to the determined length of the OPN; wherein thedetermined length of the OPN is the minimum number of bits adequate touniquely identify any output port on the forwarding device.